Envelope sealer



W. H. AVERILL ENVELOPE SEALER May 27 1924.

Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM AVEBILL, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARD MILLEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENVELOPE SEALER.

' Application filed August 28, 1923. Serial No. 659,850.

To allwiwmitmay cmwem:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. AvnRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and, State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Envelope Sealers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tool adapted to moisten the gummed inner surface of an envelope flap, and press the moistened portion against the back of the envelope, the tool including a tubular member constituting a reservoir and a handle, a padholder supporting and exposing an absorb- Of the accompanying drawings forming.

a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an envelope sealer embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan view showin the main portion of the flap controller roken away.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view, a portion of the tubular member being broken away.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section on line H of Figure 5. y l

Figure 7 is a top plan view, showing a portion of an envelope and illustrating the operation of the sealer.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the padholder.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the flap controller.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of thefigures.

The tubular member 12 ispreferably a length .of sheet metal tubing having at its outer end a filling orifice and a closure 13 therefor, and near its inner end a contracted outlet 14, the inner end of the member as originally formed being preferably left open, and subsequently closed as hereinafter described.

Secured to the inner end of the member 12 is a pad-holder, which includes a substantially flat bottom 15, connecting means at the inner end of the bottom securing the latter to theinner end portion of the tubular member, and means carried by the bottom for confiningthereon an absorbent pad 160, which is preferably a strip of felt. The connecting means is preferably an ear 16, substantially perpendicular to the bottom and inserted in a saw kerf 01' slot 17 (Figure 5), in the tubular member, and secured the-rein by solder or otherwise, the ear having a curved end 18, conforming to the curvature of the tubular member. The pad-confining means may comprise a pair ofupstanding flanges 19, at opposite edges of the bottom, bearing on opposite edges of the pad, and a clamping ear 20, formed on one longitudinal edge of the bottom and adapted to be bent downward and inward upon the upper surface of the pad.

The ear 16 is spaced from the inner end of the member 12, as shown by Figure 5, so that the outlet 14 is between the ear and the inner end of the tubular member. Water dropping from the outlet '14 falls on the bottom 15 and is absorbed by the pad. The outer end of the bottom 15 presents a'thin curved edge 21, adapted to slide in contact with. the fold or crease connecting the flap a with the face of an envelope, as indicated by Figure 7, the form of said edge being such that it is not liable to cut through the said fold when the sealer is being moved on the envelope in the direction indicated by the arrow. The ear 20 is spaced from the edge 21 as shown by Figure 3, so that it goes not contact with the said'envelope The bottom of the pad-holder is offset from the under side of the member 12, the latter being inclined relative to the bottom. The bottom is preferably provided with a rib 22, which imparts an arched form to the pad 160 as shown by Figure 2.

Attached to the inner end of the tubular member 12 is a flapecontroller which includes a fiat body 23, Having a longitudinal aperture 24 and holding-down, portions 23' at opposite sides of the aperture. The controller also includes a Wing 25, integral with the body 23 and inclined downward therefrom, said wing having a wiping edge 25 spaced from the body. The flap-controller is provided at its inner end with connecting means whereby it is attached to the inner end of the tubular member 12, said means being preferably embodied in an ear 26 on the inner end of the body 23, and substantially perpendicular to the body. Said ear is formed to close the inner end of the shown by Figure 2.

The sealer is operated by inserting the pad-holder and pad under the envelope flap a, thaflap-controller bearing on the upper side of the flap. The holding-down portions 23" are immediately above opposite edge portions of the pad, as shown by Figure 2, and cause the flap a to. contact with substantially the entire upper surface of the pad. The sealer is moved along the envelope in the direction indicatedby the arrows in Figures 2 and 7, the edge 21 sliding in contact with the fold connecting the flap with the face of the envelope." The Wiping edge 25* follows the pad and exerts a concentrated pressure on the flap at a distance from the pad, to press the moistened portion of the flap against the back of the envelope. The inclination of the wing 25 and the concentration of its pressure at the wiping edge, enable the wing to conform readily to the thickness of the flap and exert an effective sealing pressure thereon, whatever the thickness may be.

The spacing of the wiping edge from the pad permits the distribution over the area of the flap between the wiping edge and the pad, of any surplus moisture that may be crowded forward. by the wiping pressure.

. The pad-holder and the flap-controller may each be made from a. single piece or blank of sheet metal by stam ing operations.

- Owing to this fact and to t e ears 160 and 26, attachable as described .to the tubular member, the cost of manufacture iszmoderate, the number of parts being reduced to a minimum. a t

I prefer to provide a valve to open and close the outlet 14. Said valve may-be a sheet metal strip- 30,'slidable cross wise of the tubular member and provided with an orifice 31, adapted to register with the outlet 14, and with ears 32 at opposite sides of the tubular member, whereby the operator may push the valve to an open or a closed posit1on.

The pad 16 may be provided with spaced apart holes 16, inwhich water may accumulate When there is a surplus, this water being absorbed by the surrounding portions of the pad when the supply to the pad is insuflicient to cause a surplus.

I claim:

1. An envelope-sealer comprising a tubular member constituting a reservoir body and a handle, having at one end a filling orifice and at the opposite end a'contracted outlet; a pad-holder including a substantially fiat bottom, connecting means at the inner end of the bottom securing thelatter to an end portion of the tubular member, and means carried by the bottom for confining a pad thereon, the outer end of the bottom presenting a thin curved edge adapted to shde in contact with an envelope fold; and a flap-controller including a flat body having a longitudinal aperture and holding down portions at opposite sides of the aperture, a Wing inte ral with and inclined relative to the flat bo y and having a Wiping edge spaced from the body, and connecting means at the inner end of the body latter to the tubular member, bottom and'the apertured body of the flapcontroller being spaced apart and substantially parallel with each other, the arrangement being such that the said holding-down portions of the controller body confine an envelope flap .in contact with the upper surface of the pad, and the said Wiping edge is spaced from the pad and bears on another portion of the flap to press the latter against the back of the envelope.

securing the the pad-holder 2. An envelope sealer substantially as specified by claim 1, the pad-holder connecting means being an ear substantially perpendicular to the said bottom, and secured in a kerf formed in the said tubular member. 2

3. An envelope sealer substantially as specified by claim 1, the flap-controller connecting means being an ear substantially perpendicular to the controller body and closing the end of the said tubular member adjacent to the contracted outlet thereof.

4. An envelope sealer substantially as specified by claim 1, comprising also a valve s 1 dable crosswise of the said tubular member and adapted to open and close the contracted outlet thereof, said valve having push members at opposite sides of the tubuarmember.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature' WILLIAM H. AVERILL 

